5 Friends To Lovers Shows That Prove That It Is The Best Trope

In Pop culture friends-to-lovers has always been a misunderstood trope. Very often it is filled with self-proclaimed ‘Nice Guy’ who takes the best friend for granted and becomes jealous and possessive when a new guy enters your life? Thinking he has some sort of claim over you just because he’s been with you all this time? Ew.

But this is not friends-to-lovers is really about. Friends-to-lovers isn’t about entitlement, possessiveness, or the so-called Nice Guys. It’s about realizing that the person you love the most is the one who has seen you through all your best and supported you through all your worst.  It’s about the warm tension that is always there between the two and being unable to tell if there’s something more or not because it’s always like that with him.

It’s how ‘Everyone Knows It’ except for the two. It’s about being afraid of ruining things with one of the most important person in your life, but realizing taking the leap is to romance is just going make your friendship stronger. And finally its about the angst, the slowest of slow burns and it’s just so relatable!

Let’s look at the shows that do friends-to-lovers trope justice

Friends – Monica And Chandler

As much as I love Ross and Rachel, they are the dramatic , big moments and always the near misses kind of couple which is great to keep the audience engaged for 10 long years. But there’s something about Monica and Chandler which so wholesome. Chandler and Monica knew each other since high school. He was always her Go To person in crisis. She is also just as supportive of him. They also just know each other so well and bring out the best in one another. They are the healthiest and the cutest couple on the show who always focused on staying together and working with each other, which made their relationship just right.

Bridgerton Season 3 – Penelope And Colin

The third season of Bridgerton was based on the third son Colin, who returned from travelling the continent and the third daughter Penelope aka Lady Whistledown. Penelope and Colin are the true definition of regency friends-to-lovers. They didn’t walk between the lines of propriety; they bulldozed over it. calling each other by their given names (in Colin’s case a nickname) exchanging letters and being without chaperone all the time was nothing less than a scandal at that time. But these two truly didn’t care. From the first season we could see that they had known each other from a longtime and the tension cumulated throughout the second season and exploded in season 3.

Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na – Aditi And Jai

Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na is a cult classic we all fawned over in our childhood. This movie is about trying find love and soulmate in other people and realizing they have everything they both wanted with each other only. The movie is about how love can sometimes be waltzing right under your nose in the form of your best friend. Jai and Aditi always drew comfort from each other. Jai with his non-confrontational attitude and Aditi with her loud, no- nonsense attitude were opposites who perfectly balanced each other.

One Day – Emma and Dexter

 Get your tissues ready as One Day is the heartbreaking love story of Emma and Dexter, who become friends after an unsuccessful one-night encounter following their university graduation. Over the next two decades, the film goes back to their lives on the same date each year, capturing their deepening relationship and unspoken affections for one other as they manage the highs and lows of love, life and loss

Love Next Door – Bae Seok-Ryu And Choi Seung Hyo

Bae Seok-Ryu And Choi Seung Hyo are lifelong besties who ‘hate’ each other. They are childhood friends who meet each other after a really longtime. But their Tom & Jerry dynamic and banter remains even after all these years. There is level of comfort that they have for each other and always have each other’s backs which just makes their dynamic so wholesome. It is truly the slowest of slow burn and the oblivious tension between them is absolutely delicious to watch. It is an ongoing Kdrama but each episode makes you squeal, giggle and anticipate the next episode.